The Way Is Steep
Jesus said to his apostles:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
--Matthew 10:37-42
Lord, we’re baptized now into you, baptized into your dying, too. This valley you will lead us through, of shadows deep, will take us to our Golgothas, and yet you say, Take up your cross; take up the weight of pain and loss: The way is steep. We leave behind what we have loved, our parents, children, in the dust. We leave them to the one we trust above all else. In truth, they were not ever ours but yours—O, hold them to your heart and keep them, though we dwell apart, yet with yourself. And all we’ve gained is ours to lose, yet all we’ve lost is yours in truth. When mercy every life renews and deserts bloom, we’ll hear at last your great Amen: You’ll give us what we’ve lost, and then you’ll bring us back to life again out of the tomb. So day by day and breath by breath befriending our eventual death we follow in our shepherd’s steps, remembering that we are mortal, doomed to die, yet even that shall pass us by when you have raised us to the sky, O savior king.
